Reflections on Local Election Results

After the recent elections to Suffolk County Council, I’d like to put on record my sincere thanks to the councillors, candidates, activists and voters, regardless of party, who campaigned and participated in the County Council elections.

The biggest local story of the election night was the collapse of the Conservative vote in favour of Reform, resulting in a change of administration, as well as a smaller but significant growth in support for the Green Party.

The Labour Party must listen to what the voters have told us. We must keep talking to the residents we represent, hearing what they have to say, addressing their concerns and serving our communities. 

One important lesson I’ve learnt in my two years as an MP is that sometimes complicated problems don’t have simple or quick solutions and when the country is crying out for change that is frustrating. A good example is irregular migration. Breaking the complex web that criminal gangs have embedded over many years to exploit refugees and circumvent national borders is neither simple nor quick, as consecutive governments have shown.

However, in the first three months of this year there were 36% fewer dangerous small boats crossings from France than over the same period last year and net migration last year was down by almost 70% compared to the same period the previous year.

This government must now move faster and further on the priorities of the people they serve. After recent turbulence I favour level heads, both as an approach to politics and as my preferred Greene King ale.